County Commissioners Move Offices and Meeting Location

Staff reports

In response to the growing needs of the court system, the Buncombe County Commissioners have decided to give up their offices in the County Courthouse. This move will downsize their office space, reduce their staff by one person, and combine their offices with those in the County’s administration building at 205 College Street.
In addition, the Commissioners will turn over their historic public chamber on the second floor of the Courthouse to become courtroom space. Beginning with their April 7 meeting, the Commissioners will now meet — and face the public — in the public works building at 30 Valley Street in the space originally created for Planning Board meetings.

Commission Chairman David Gantt explained the move as a “creative
solution” that will help the Commissioners deal with court
overcrowding, meeting their “legal requirement to provide adequate
court space and facilities for judges, clerks, and court staff. The
Commission,” he said, “appreciates the partnership with the court
leadership. as we try to balance costs, space and facility usage needs.
This move continues access to citizens and makes the Commissioners’
meetings just as accessible to the public.”

The Board of Commissioners have held office space and met in the
Courthouse since it was constructed in 1927.

“It makes me sad to leave
but it truly is the right thing to do,” said Commissioner Carol
Peterson, whose parents both worked in the Courthouse. Bill Stanley,
who has been a Commissioner for 20 years, expressed mixed feelings.
“Our court system needs this space and we can be just as accessible to
the public, if not more so, at 205 College. I think the Commissioners
belong in the Courthouse, but these are challenging times and we have
to make changes to best accommodate the needs of the public.”

Buncombe County Chief District Court Judge Gary Cash praised the Board
for freeing up this space, stating that “with the dire need for
offices, courtroom and conference room space, this is a wonderful move
that will help us better serve the citizens of the County.”